The expertise and resources to meet all your legal needs  

At R&T Asia (Thailand), we provide high quality advice to clients right across the commercial spectrum. We have the expertise and resources, locally and internationally, to meet all your legal needs both here in Thailand, and across our region.

That, of course, includes representation in the Thai courts, as well as in international and domestic arbitration.

We are confident that we possess the qualities and experience required to provide you with excellent and considered legal advice and services.  And our commitment to quality is unrivalled.

Practice Areas

We are a full-service Thai law firm, with involvement in a range of contentious and non-contentious matters in the following practice areas:

• Banking and Finance
• Insolvency & Restructuring
• General Corporate Commercial
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Foreign Investment Approvals
• Real Estate
• Insurance & Reinsurance
• International Arbitration
• Commercial Litigation 
• Employment
• Regulatory and Compliance
• Intellectual Property

Commercial Litigation

The members of the disputes team have extensive experience in advising clients on a range of commercial disputes in Thailand (both Thai court litigation and arbitration). Our experience includes:

• Banking and Finance disputes (including business rehabilitation)
• Construction disputes
• Shareholder/Joint venture disputes
• Employment matters
• Contractual claims (for example, leases, hotel management contracts, lift and escalator contracts, ship repair contracts)
• "Wrongful act" claims (similar to tort or negligence claims)

The depth of our Thai law knowledge and experience of the Thai court and arbitration systems mean that lawyers with on-the-ground Thai expertise will guide you through the dispute resolution process in Thailand. This is coupled with a rare ability to communicate advice to you in such a way as to ensure that you are comfortable in a legal landscape that may be different or with which you may be unfamiliar. These are truly unique added-value elements that are designed to ensure that your interests are protected, and also that you are fully apprised of the intricacies of the Thai legal system.

Insurance & Reinsurance

Our disputes team has experience in advising Thai subsidiaries of several leading international insurers. Their experience includes advising major international insurers on policy coverage under Thai law and the localisation of global insurance policies for compliance with Thai law and use in Thailand. For example, the team has previously advised a leading global insurer on liability of its insured under a construction contract and on coverage for third party loss under the policy.

Through their experience in advising a variety of insurers, the team has gained an in-depth understanding of issues pertinent to insurance businesses in Thailand. They are therefore well-placed to provide high quality considered advice that takes into account issues relevant and important to our clients.

Banking & Finance

The members of our team have expertise in a range of banking and finance matters under Thai law representing both local and foreign banks and financial institutions in both contentious and non-contentious banking and finance transactions and disputes, including:

• Contentious Banking/ Recovery retainers
• Project Finance
• Structured Finance
• Loan and Security Transfer
• Commercial Lending
• Consumer Finance Business

Corporate Commercial 

The members of our corporate team specialise in foreign investment approvals and general corporate commercial matters for foreign companies in Thailand and businesses wishing to invest in Thailand. They have extensive experience in the following areas:

• Structuring and negotiating international transactions (as well as obtaining Board of Investment promotion and foreign business licenses for foreign companies).
• Preparing, negotiating and implementing numerous projects in the region, including property acquisitions, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions (including conducting legal due diligence exercises).
• Establishing branch offices, representative offices and regional operating headquarters in Thailand.
• Liaising with Thai administrative agencies, including the Ministry of Commerce, the Land Department, the Board of Investment, the Immigration Bureau, the Labour Department, One-Stop Service, the Revenue Department, the Industrial Estate Authority, and the Customs Department.
• Providing advice on the restrictions on foreign business participation in Thailand, employment and tax matters, work permit and visa issues with specific reference to foreign direct investment into Thailand.

They have also represented clients in the automotive, hospitality and financial services sector, as well as industrial manufacturing, chemical, electronic, food and beverage, agriculture products and construction businesses.

Regulatory, Compliance & General Advisory

The team has extensive experience in advising foreign and Thai companies on compliance with specific Thai laws. Examples include advising on tobacco products control laws, gambling and betting laws, the sale, consumption and advertisement of alcoholic beverages, personal income tax liabilities for foreigners in Thailand, the review of client’s manuals relating to business conduct and practice, and matters relating to trade practices, bribery and corruption.

Competition & Antitrust, Customs & Trade

Rajah & Tann's Bangkok lawyers have many years of experience in the field of international and domestic trade and customs matters. Our clients are able to benefit from our full-service capability in liaising with the Customs Department, Ministry of Commerce and Department of Special Investigations, advising on Thai, ASEAN and WTO law matters, and representing clients in related civil and criminal litigation.

Employment

Our Thai team is also experienced in contentious and non-contentious Thai employment law matters.

On the non-contentious side, they have assisted clients in preparing and filing work regulations required under Thai law, conducting a review of staff handbooks/HR policies and employment contracts. They have also advised foreign clients on the impact of data protection and privacy laws for their clients’ operations in Thailand.

The members of our Thai team are regularly instructed to advise MNCs (and their Thai subsidiaries) on mutual separation arrangements. In particular, they work closely with clients to ensure that any termination or separation processes are smooth and thorough, with a view to minimising disruption to their businesses. In cases where Thai labour court proceedings ensue, our Thai lawyers have frequently been instructed to defend those proceedings on behalf of our clients.

Technology, Media & Telecommunications 

Intellectual Property

The intellectual property (IP) team has many years’ experience in serving local, regional and international clients in the full suite of intellectual property services both in Thailand and overseas. 

The team specialises in all areas of IP law, including trade mark, patent, design, copyright, trade secret, geographical indication. Our experience encompasses various industries, such as consumer products, biotech and pharmaceutical, healthcare, food and beverage, oil and gas, e-commerce, construction, telecommunication, media and entertainment, and luxury goods.   

We offer a full range of IP services; including the following:

• IP Registration & Prosecution;
• IP Litigation;
• IP Enforcement & Anti-counterfeit Campaign;
• Licensing & Franchising;
• IP Portfolio Management;
• IP Due Diligence
• Patent Drafting & Searching;
• Freedom To Operate Report and Analysis.